1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a measurement system and method for analyzing the components of impurities generated at the pressure boundary of the primary system of a nuclear reactor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current methods of detecting the leakage of nuclear reactor coolant in a nuclear power plant include methods which are disclosed in Korean Pat. No. 10-0356153 (Sep. 27, 2002) and reported in Nuclear Engineering and Design, (1), (1985) by Kupperman, D. S. and which use sound waves or ultrasonic waves. Other nuclear coolant reactor coolant detection methods have been reported, and include one detection method that uses the detection of a sump level and that is reported in Nuclear Engineering and Design, (1), (1991) by Aoki, K., another leakage detection system that uses a difference between the flow rates of ultrasonic flow meters and that is disclosed in Japanese Pat. Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-341081A (Nov. 27, 2002), and the other coolant leakage detection method and apparatus that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,479 (Sep. 6, 1994.) and Japanese Pat. Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-96345A (Apr. 24, 2008) and that detects radioactive substances generated when coolant leaks.
In spite of these conventional leakage detection methods, it is currently very difficult to detect the leakage of a coolant either in advance or when the amount of coolant leaked is small. Therefore, to date, in order to accurately determine whether leakage has occurred, a condition allowing an operator to access a relevant leakage location is made by disassembling surrounding parts of the nuclear reactor, removing the materials and units surrounding the pressure boundary of the nuclear reactor when the nuclear reactor is overhauled, and thereafter the operator inspects a predicted coolant leakage location with the naked eye.
Meanwhile, commercialized methods capable of analyzing the components of metal compounds in the field may include mobile X-ray fluorescence analysis. However, this method makes it difficult to analyze elements having a small atomic weight, such as boron. There is a disadvantage in that in order to analyze elements having a small atomic weight, the atmosphere between the sample and the detector must be controlled. Further, there is a limitation in that it is difficult to apply such methods to highly radioactive environments such as the surroundings of a nuclear reactor, or to samples having high radiation levels.